I Entered as second-class matter at the Post-OfBce at Hamilton. 111., under Act ut March a, 187a.) 



Published Monthly at $1.00 a Year, by American Bee Journal, First National Bank Building 



C. p. DADANT. Editor. 



DR. C. C. MILLER. Associate Editor. 



HAMILTON, ILL, OCTOBER, 1913 



Vol. Llll.— No. 10 



Editorial 



Comments 



Distance Drones Fly 



Regarding the editorial tinder this 

 heading in the August number, it is 

 evident, from the testimonials of Swiss 

 and Savoyard apiarists, that there is a 

 great difference in the length of flight 

 in different localities or directions, and 

 that this depends upon the configura- 

 tion of the land. Hilly, woody regions 

 permit of the flight of bees up and 

 down the valleys at long range, but 

 less across the steep bluffs. This is 

 rational, and the reverse could hardly 

 be expected. Better proof of this can 

 be had in mountainous countries than 

 almost anywhere else. 



Flour lor Unitinfj 



The use of flour in uniting bees, al- 

 though little used in this country, is 

 much esteemed by some bee-keepers 

 across the water. In Leipziger Bien- 

 enzeitung a writer tells of his success. 

 A colony that had swarmed became 

 drone-rearing (.laying workers). He 

 shook the bees from their combs upon 

 the bottom of the hive, and with a lit- 

 tle flour dusted them until all were 

 powdered. Upon these he shook a 

 nucleus with a good queen^ dusted 

 also, and then gave them some better 

 combs. Gradually the diminutive 

 drones disappeared, and a good colony 

 resulted. 



In the 2 or '6 years since that time 

 he has caged no queen in introducing. 

 He merely drops heron the pi leof pow- 

 dered bees struggling on the bottom of 

 the hive, and has never had a failure. 



Hed Clover Bees 



Since July 1 this locality has had 

 scarcely a drop of rain. White clover 

 is suffering, and unless the weather 

 changes soon it will be hard on next 

 season's clover crop. The second crop 

 of red clover has come up since the 

 last rainfall, and as its blossoms were 

 very short the bees were able to reach 

 the nectar. Near-by fields wree covered 

 with bees, and every one's colonies are 

 now the real Red Clover Strain. Al- 

 though it is a step forward to breed 

 for long-tongued bees, we have yet to 

 see the first colony of bees that will 

 work consislcntly on red clover. 



During this drouth many of our 

 readers no doubt will be led to believe 

 they have Red Clover Bees. Before 

 coming to a conclusion, we would ad- 

 vise them to wait until next year and 

 test those colonies on the first red 

 clover blossoms. 



Potato Vines in Europe 



The tales of a traveler sometimes 

 read so as to leave one in doubt about 

 his veracity. So if some of the readers 

 are dubious concerning the following 

 statement, I will not hold a grudge. I 

 would not have believed it myself: 



In a little village of Savoy, near 

 Albertville, I visited an apiary of some 

 20 hives placed at the rear of a vegeta- 

 ble garden. A patch of exceedingly 

 vigorous potatoes attracted my atten- 

 tion. I walked to the middle of it and 

 stood by a potato stem which reached 

 to the uppermost button of my vest, 51 



inches from the ground. The spot is 

 sheltered against high winds, else the 

 potato vine would have been laid low 

 by the breeze long before I saw it. 



Honey League to Distribute 

 Booklets 



We wish to call the attention of our 

 readers to the rare opportunity they 

 have to push their honey sales by tak- 

 ing advantage of the offer by Mr. N. E. 

 France on the opposite page. 



A number of years ago a consider- 

 able amount of money was contributed 

 by bee-keepers and supply dealers for 

 the purpose of advertising honey gen- 

 erally. This fund was placed in the 

 hands of a committee with power to 

 use it for the purpose for which it was 

 contributed. There remains of this 

 fund over $000, which the committee 

 has decided to use as explained. 



The publishers' price on these books 

 is $4.50 per hundred. They may be ob- 

 tained through Mr. France for paying 

 postage of 68 cents per hundred on 

 them. 



Mailing- 01«1 Combs 



Many parties are sending their old 

 combs by mail to be rendered into- 

 beeswax. One such shipment, weigh 

 ing about 11 pounds, came through the 

 mail and was literally devoured by 

 moth. The postmaster, on emptying 

 the mail bag, spilled moth worms all 

 over the post-office desks and floor. 

 The packages of newspapers which 

 were in the same bag were filled with 

 moth, the worm,-; having even devoured 

 a part of the newspapers. It is re- 

 markable in how short a time these 

 worms do so much damage. 



We warn our readers not to ship 

 combs by mail except during the 

 winter months. Unless they have been 



